This delicious ABC soup recipe is a fun and healthy meal to serve up to toddlers and kids, and adults love it too! This easy one-pot tomato, beef and vegetable soup is made with alphabet pasta and is ready to serve in just 30 minutes!
Alphabet soup was one of my favourite things growing up, so I decided to create my own healthier ABC soup recipe. This version is so much better than store-bought!
The kids love searching for the letters in the soup and listing off different things that each letter stands for. This soup is not only tasty, it’s a great interactive learning opportunity and fun to eat too!
Loaded with fresh veggies and protein and iron-rich beef, this filling soup is perfect for a healthy lunch or dinner. It doesn’t require a long cooking time unlike many other soups, so it’s a great option when you have impatient little mouths to feed.
For more kid-friendly soups, be sure to try my Chicken Pastina Soup and Lazy Lasagna Soup too!
Table of Contents
Why We Love this Alphabet Soup Recipe
- Quick and easy: There’s nothing complicated about this recipe. The ingredients are straight-forward and it’s ready to serve in about 30 minutes!
- One pot: This soup is all made in one pot, so even the clean up is a breeze!
- Healthy: Loaded with lots of fresh vegetables, this soup is packed with fibre and vitamins and minerals like vitamins A, C and iron. The ground beef adds extra protein to keep everyone’s tummy feeling satisfied.
- Adaptable: This soup is easy to adapt to your tastes and dietary needs.
Ingredient Notes
- Beef: Use extra lean ground beef for this recipe to reduce saturated fat. You can also sub in lean if preferred. We brown the beef first before adding the other ingredients to the pot.
- Vegetables: Onion, bell pepper, carrots, garlic, and frozen corn are the veggies we like to use in this soup. Feel free to toss in your own favourite veggies!
- Broth: Use a low sodium broth for this soup. I like to use chicken, but beef or vegetable will both work well.
- Canned tomatoes: I prefer to use fire-roasted tomatoes as they have a much richer flavour, but regular crushed or diced tomatoes will work fine too.
- Marinara sauce: This enhances the rich tomatoey flavour and thickens up the soup base.
- Seasonings: Paprika, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper are added to enhance the flavour. Add more or less to taste.
- Alphabet pasta: This shaped pasta adds a fun twist to this soup, and kids love it! Other small pastas work well too.
Step by Step Instructions
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Heat oil in large sauce pan over medium high heat. Add ground beef and cook until browned, about 2-3 minutes. Drain off the fat. Add the onion, pepper, carrots and garlic and cook for about 5 to 6 minutes, or until vegetables are fragrant and have softened.
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Next, add in the broth, diced tomatoes, pasta sauce and spices; turn heat up to high and bring mixture to a boil.
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Add in the corn and pasta, reduce heat to medium low and simmer for about 10 minutes or until pasta is cooked.
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Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve warm with a sprinkle of cheese, if desired.
Recipe Notes for this Letters Soup
- If serving this recipe to little ones, I like to slice the carrots and then quarter them so that they’re smaller and easier to chew.
- If you’d like to keep the vegetables more simple and subtle for those who may be more particular, you can omit the bell pepper and sub in crushed tomatoes for diced tomatoes.
- The soup tends to thicken as it sits since the pasta absorbs some of the liquid. I find that this consistency can work well for little ones since it’s thicker and easier to transfer into their mouths, however, if you prefer a thinner soup, I recommend serving it immediately or adding some extra broth before serving if it’s been sitting for a while.
Recipe FAQs
How to store
If you have leftovers or want to make this soup ahead of time, allow it to cool completely before transferring to an airtight container. It will keep well in the fridge for about 4 days.
Can I freeze this alphabet soup?
Yes, you can freeze this soup in an air-tight container for up to 3 months, although the pasta might be soft when thawed and reheated. If you plan to freeze this soup as a freezer meal, you can always cook the pasta separately and add just before serving.
I like to freeze this soup in these Souper Cubes for individual portions that can be easily served as quick lunches or dinner for the kids when we’re tight on time!
How to reheat
The soup can be reheated gently on the stovetop, stirring occasionally, or in the microwave on full power for 3 minutes, stirring halfway. You may want to stir in a little broth or water to loosen the soup back up, as the pasta will absorb liquid as it sits.
What is alphabet soup made of?
This ABC soup is a tomato-based soup made with lots of fresh veggies, ground beef and alphabet pasta. It’s a hearty soup that will keep everyone feeling full and satisfied and is especially fun for kids.
What type of pasta works best for this recipe?
Alphabet pasta or any small pasta like ditalini, orzo, elbow, pastina or star pasta will all work well in this soup.
Where can I find alphabet pasta?
I typically find the alphabet pasta at my local grocery store in the pasta aisle but you can also order it here.
Beyond soup, you can also use this pasta to create kid-friendly salads or for main pasta dishes!
Serving Suggestions
Serve with a sprinkle of cheddar or parmesan cheese and top with some chopped parsley, if desired. It also tastes great served along with some crusty bread or crackers.
Recipe variations
This recipe is delicious as it is, but you can easily adapt it to suit your tastes or diet. Here are some ideas:
- Different veggies: Try adding spinach, zucchini, or peas.
- Protein: Sub in ground sausage or use ground chicken or turkey. You can also add your favourite meatballs or form the ground meat into mini meatballs. Additionally, you can add a can of white beans to make the soup even more hearty.
- To make vegan: Skip the ground beef and add two cans of drained and rinsed white beans instead.
- To make gluten-free: Sub in a gluten-free pasta.
More Soup Recipes
- Chicken Meatball Soup
- 3-Ingredient Tomato Soup
- Italian Sausage Soup
- Instant Pot Butternut Squash Soup
- Chicken Noodle Soup
- Pumpkin Curry Soup with Chicken
- Lemon Lentil Soup
- Sweet Potato Coconut Soup
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ABC Soup
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 lb extra lean ground beef
- 1 small onion diced
- 1 bell pepper diced
- 2 large carrots thinly sliced
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 4-5 cups low sodium chicken broth
- 1 14oz can fire-roasted tomatoes
- 2 cups marinara sauce
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp Italian seasoning
- 1 cup frozen corn kernels
- 1 cup uncooked alphabet pasta
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Heat oil in large sauce pan over medium high heat. Add ground beef and cook until browned, about 2-3 minutes. Drain off the fat. Add the onion, pepper, carrots and garlic and cook for about 5 to 6 minutes, or until vegetables are fragrant and have softened.
- Next add in the broth, diced tomatoes, pasta sauce and spices; turn heat up and bring mixture to a boil.
- Add in the corn and pasta, reduce heat to medium low and simmer for about 10 minutes or until pasta is cooked.
- Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve warm with a sprinkle of cheese, if desired.
Notes
- If serving this recipe to little ones, I like to slice the carrots and then quarter the slices so that they're smaller and easier to chew.
- If you'd like to keep the vegetables more simple and subtle for those who may be more particular, you can omit the bell pepper and sub in crushed tomatoes for diced tomatoes.
- The soup tends to thicken as it sits since the pasta absorbs some of the liquid. I find that this consistency can work well for little ones since it's thicker and easier to transfer to their mouths, however, if you prefer a thinner soup, I recommend serving it immediately or adding some extra broth before serving if it's been sitting for a while.
- We like to freeze this soup in these Souper Cubes for individual portions that can be easily served as quick meals for the kids when in a pinch!
Nutrition
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